Earthquake Preparedness List for Home and Family Safety

Reduce Earthquake Hazards Inside the Home

Falling and shifting objects deserve attention before supplies because they can injure occupants, block exits, and make stored gear unreachable. Walk through the home at eye level and floor level, looking for tall furniture, hanging glass, heavy objects on high shelves, unsecured televisions, and beds beneath windows or wall-mounted items.

Prioritize bedrooms, living areas, and exit routes rather than trying to correct every issue at once. Move heavy objects to lower shelves and relocate beds or chairs away from windows when practical. Bookcases, dressers, and similar furniture may need anchoring appropriate to the wall material and the manufacturer’s instructions. Cabinet latches can help contain dishes and glassware, while flexible connections or professional evaluation may be appropriate for certain appliances and utilities.

A common mistake is fastening furniture to drywall alone or using hardware without checking its load rating and installation requirements. A fastener that looks secure may pull free under repeated movement. Renters should ask the property owner what alterations are permitted and document agreed safety work. If anchoring is restricted, rearranging heavy objects and keeping exits clear still reduces exposure.

Use a room-by-room inspection rather than relying on memory:

• Bedrooms: Clear the area above beds, keep sturdy shoes and a flashlight within reach, and avoid heavy frames near sleeping areas.
• Kitchen: Store breakable and heavy items low, latch vulnerable cabinets, and keep the path to the exit unobstructed.
• Living spaces: Secure tall furniture and electronics, then identify nearby sturdy cover.
• Garage and utility areas: Stabilize shelving and prevent stored chemicals or tools from falling into walkways.

The inspection is working when every regularly occupied room has an identifiable protective location and no major exit depends on passing unstable furniture or broken glass.

Build Accessible Earthquake Supplies

Earthquake supplies should support the household when electricity, water, transportation, or local services are disrupted. Store a main household supply set in a dry, accessible location, but avoid placing everything in a garage or closet that could be blocked. Smaller bedside, vehicle, and work kits provide useful redundancy when family members are separated.

Water and food form the base, followed by medications, first-aid materials, lighting, communication tools, sanitation items, and weather-appropriate clothing. Choose foods household members already tolerate and can open without electricity. Include a manual can opener when needed. Rotate consumables according to their labeled dates and storage instructions rather than assuming packaged goods remain suitable indefinitely.

Specialized tools should not displace basics. For example, buying an elaborate survival device while lacking routine prescriptions, safe water storage, or usable flashlights leaves more likely needs uncovered. Equipment also requires familiarity: test radios, label charging cables, and confirm that family members can open containers.

Review the supply set at least on a recurring household schedule and after anything is used. Signs of failure include dead batteries, expired medications, leaking water containers, clothing that no longer fits children, or a kit too heavy for its intended carrier.

Create a Family Communication and Reunion Plan

A family earthquake plan must work when people are at school, work, home, or in transit. Choose an out-of-area contact who can receive status updates, since household members may have difficulty reaching one another directly. Give everyone a printed contact card because phone batteries, damaged devices, and stress can make stored numbers unavailable.

Select two reunion locations: one immediately outside the home for a localized evacuation and another outside the neighborhood if access is restricted. The second location should be specific, recognizable, and reachable by more than one route. “Meet downtown” is too vague; a named entrance to a known public location is more usable.

Map responsibilities without assuming the usual caregiver will be present. Decide who may collect children under school rules, who checks on a household member needing assistance, who handles pets, and who carries essential medication. Confirm school, workplace, and care-facility release procedures instead of inventing a separate plan that conflicts with them.

Consider an illustrative weekday scenario: one adult is at work, another is driving, and a child is at school when shaking occurs. The plan should tell each person to follow immediate protective actions where they are, send a brief status message when feasible, contact the designated person, and use the neighborhood reunion point only when travel is safe and permitted. A plan fails if it sends everyone onto congested or hazardous roads immediately.

Run a short communication check periodically. If anyone cannot name the contact, locate the printed card, or explain the reunion points, simplify the instructions rather than adding more detail.

Practice What to Do During and After Shaking

During shaking, people indoors should generally Drop, Cover, and Hold On: get low, protect the head and neck under sturdy cover when available, and hold on until movement stops. Do not run outside through areas where glass, masonry, or other materials may fall. Someone in bed may be safer staying there and protecting the head unless an immediate hazard makes that location unsafe.

Practice from the places where people actually spend time, including bedrooms, the kitchen, and a home office. If no table is nearby, identify a lower-risk spot away from windows and tall furniture and protect the head and neck. A drill that always begins with everyone together in the living room does not test realistic conditions.

Once shaking ends, pause and assess before moving. Expect possible aftershocks, put on sturdy shoes, check for injuries, and look for fire, damaged wiring, broken glass, unstable objects, or signs of structural damage. Use stairs rather than elevators when leaving a building. Follow instructions from local authorities and emergency personnel, and do not enter a visibly damaged structure until the appropriate authority says it is safe.

Utility decisions require restraint. Do not assume every earthquake requires shutting off gas, electricity, or water. Unnecessary shutoffs may create additional problems, and restoring some services may require a qualified professional. Learn the utility provider’s instructions beforehand and act on clear signs of damage or official direction.

A useful drill ends with a review: Was cover reachable? Did furniture obstruct movement? Could everyone find shoes, lights, and contact information? Correct those failures while they are visible.

Adapt the Plan for Children, Disabilities, and Pets

Household plans become usable only when they reflect how each person communicates, moves, takes medication, and handles stress. Young children need simple actions practiced without frightening scenarios. Teach them where to take cover, which adults may collect them, and why they should not leave school or care settings without authorization.

People with mobility, sensory, cognitive, or medical needs may require a personalized support network and duplicated essentials. Keep mobility devices close, secure equipment that could shift, and store backup power or charging options when a device depends on electricity. Written instructions can help responders understand communication methods, medications, allergies, and equipment needs, but sensitive records should be protected from unnecessary exposure.

Pets need carriers, leashes, identification, food, water, medications, and current care information. Keep carriers accessible rather than buried behind stored goods. Practice calmly guiding animals into them; an unfamiliar carrier may be difficult to use when an animal is frightened. Identify destinations that can accommodate animals because not every temporary facility has the same rules.

Balance redundancy with portability. A person who uses essential medication may benefit more from a small grab-ready pouch plus reserve supplies than from one oversized container. Likewise, assigning a child to carry a bag that is too heavy is not a workable plan. Test each item under ordinary conditions: lift the kit, operate the equipment, read the instructions in low light, and replace any arrangement the intended user cannot manage.

Conclusion

Begin with the risks that could cause harm before anyone reaches a kit: unstable furniture, glass near beds, obstructed exits, and unclear protective locations. Then build accessible supplies around actual household needs, establish specific contacts and reunion points, and rehearse the plan from different rooms and weekday locations. Review what failed during each drill and correct it. A smaller plan that every family member can use is more dependable than an elaborate system that has never been tested.

Additional Resources